Beer vs. Wine, Part One

A reader of this blog asked why it seems that they cannot find interesting beers at so-called fine dining establishments. The question can be expanded to ask why it is that beer – a very complex drink occurring in many different styles – still lacks the respect afforded wine.

I’ve done no research at all on this topic, but since this is an opinion piece, I’ll spout on anyway. (Being a professional brewer does give me a bit of insight into the issue, I guess.) I believe there are several factors that work to elevate the status of wine over beer in our country. In no particular order:

Price: It’s not obvious to neophyte marketers, but people with disposable income tend to view cheap products as inferior. Even inexpensive wines cost more than most beers (I’m talking about $5/bottle stuff, not Thunderbird).

Marketing: The big brewers of this country have long marketed beer as the drink of the masses. To say that the most memorable ads from these companies are sophomoric would be an insult to sophomores everywhere. Spuds Mackenzie? Talking frogs? Scantily-clad women holding silver cans?

It’s such a fine line between clever and stupid. These ads may invoke many things, but class is not one of them.

Agriculture: Good grapes are hard to grow. While it is not easy to grow malting-grade barley, it is easier to make descent beer from poor barley than to make passable wine from inferior grapes.

Status: Beer has been the drink of choice for millennia because the brewing process renders water microbiologically safe. Just over a hundred years ago, low alcohol beer was the norm on household tables; even youngsters drank it. Barley is more widely grown than grapes so “table beer” was ubiquitous. Perhaps beer is just a little too familiar.

Culinary Culture: Let’s face it, when one talks about great food, the traditional beer countries like Germany and Great Britain don’t often get mentioned. Sure, the occasional Leberkäse or kidney pie is great (or not), but most of us Western-types think of France and Italy when discussing our favorite kitchens.

France and Italy are noted for their wine, not so much for their beer. Many dishes from these cultures are prepared with wine and pair with it easily. That’s not to say beers can’t be paired with French or Italian fare, but it isn’t traditional and their chefs are not typically knowledgeable about beer.

Education: Better restaurants often employ chefs who have formal culinary training. While some cooking schools do offer beer education, it is not up to par with the wine classes (see the above for reasons). When opening a restaurant, these chefs will usually just get the imported beers that the distributor tells them will sell. These are almost always dull (and stale, too).

There will be virtually no quality beer education for the rest of the staff at such places. I’ve had wretchedly stale beer recommended to me by servers at wine-oriented places; they have no idea what they are talking about. I suppose I could be blamed for daring to be in a beer mood at a “better” restaurant.

I’ve been to restaurants in Albany where the “imports” section of the beer menu lists Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada (they cost more, so they must be imported). I’ve also seen one place that tried to have an educational beer menu. It listed Hefeweizen as a lager.

Hopefully this blog will help to change some of that. The more people know, the more they will demand a diverse selection of fresh beer. Now if only somebody could tell me why catering halls have such execrable beer offerings. I’ve suffered far too many weddings where the only beers offered are Bud and Heineken. Caterers: it’s 2009. We’re nearly 30 years into the craft beer revolution. Wake up!